Outdoor sleeper



, June 2 1942 fc.V D. HENDERSON E-rm. i `2,284,900

" ouTDooR SLEEPER Filed Feb; a, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1 Inventor A HomeyAJune r2, 1942- o. D. HENDERso Erm.

OUTDOOR SLEEPBR Filed Feb. 8. 1941 2 heetsfSheet v2 "ffl Inventor y v vAttorney Patented June 2, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-"ICE OUTDOORSLEEPER Owen D. Henderson and Gertrude W. Henderson, v

Miami, Fla.

Application February 8, 1941, Serial No. 378,072

2 Claims. (Cl. 5-1227) Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view 1through the sleeper. p

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the sleeper.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view illustrating certainfeatures hereinafter more fully referred to.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of a stay or bow forming part of theinvention.

Referring more in detail to the drawings it `will be seen that in thepreferred embodiment thereof the sleeping hammock or outdoor sleepercomprises an elongated casing or envelope 5 formed from duck or othersuitable material and v embodying a bottom 6, side Walls 1, end walls 8,

and a top wall 9; the casing being of a size to `accommodate a personand forms the body of the hammock.

In each of the end walls 8 there is provided for light and ventilationpurposes a window I made of sheer fabric or the like, and for eachwindow there is provided internally of the envelope closure or coveringflaps II that are secured in a closing position with respect to theassociated windows through the medium of slide fasteners I2 as bestshown in Figure 3.

Also adjacent one end of the envelope the top Wall 9 is provided with anenlarged opening I3 through which one passes the body incidental topositioning ones self in the hammock, or in removing ones self from thehammock.

When occupied, the opening I3 may serve as a window for light andventilation purposes, and to this end there is provided for the openingI3 a window-forming sheet I4 of sheer fabric, or other suitablematerial, and the same at one edge thereof is stitched or otherwisesecured to the Y to the side walls 'I of he envelope as shown. Obviouslythe rings I5 and guide ropes I6 serve to hold the sheet I4 in a more orless stretched condition transversely of the envelope 5 and thusfacilitates the extending of the sheet I4 to a closing position withrespect to the opening I3 and also to the retracted position shown inFigure l.`

The window sheet i4 is secured in closing position with respect to theopening I3 through the medium of complemental fastening means pro-Videdon the free transverse edge of the sheet I4 and an edge of the wall9 at one side of the opening i3; these complemental fastening meansbeing shown, in the present instance, as in the form of a slide fastenerindicated generally by the reference numeral I1.

Also for the opening I3 there is provided an outer closure sheet I8 thatis preferably formed of duck or other suitable material, and preferablyfrom the same material from which the envelope 5 is formed.

The sheet I8 at one edge thereof is stitched or otherwise secured to thewall 9v at one edge of the opening I3 v and has its opposite end edgesequipped with guide rings I9 that cooperate with guide elements 2tprovided on the side walls 'I of the envelope, and in the nature oflengths of rope as shown.

To facilitate extending the closurer sheet I8 over the opening I3, saidsheet is equipped with pull ropes 22 that work through openings 2iprovided in the end wall 8 at what may be termed the head end of thehammock.

On the free ends thereof the pull ropes 22 are equipped with snapfasteners 22 that cooperate with keeper rings 23 provided interiorly ofthe envelope 5 and attached to the side walls I of the envelope as shownin Figure 2.

The snap fasteners 22 are engaged with the rings 23 when the closuresheet I8 is in the open position shown in Figure l. By so engaging thesnap fasteners 22' with the rings 23, the ropes 20 are held to the sidesof the envelope and therefore will not interfere with the comfort of theoccupant of the hammock.

The end walls 8 of the envelope 5 are held in a stiffened or expandedcondition through the medium of stiffening frames 24 and the top 9 atthe foot end of the hammock is supported throughV the medium of crossstays 25; there being one additional cross stay 2B within the confinesof the opening I3 to support the window-forming sheet I4 and the closuresheet I8 as shown in Figure 2.

Preferably the bottom 6 is concave as shown in Figure 3 and arrangedwithin the envelope is a mattress 21 that is characterized by having theunderside thereof convex so as to fit conformably the concavity of thebottom wall 6 as shown in Figure 3.

The mattress 2l may be of any suitable construction but preferably issuch a type of mattress as is known as an air mattress, or in otherWords an inflatable mattress.

At opposite sides thereof the envelope is provided with suitably spacedand positioned guides 28 arranged in upper and lower series, and trainedthrough these guides are supporting ropes 29 which at opposite ends ofthe hammock are connected together through the medium of rings 3U.

The rings 3U are also adapted to have secured thereto suspension ropes3l through the medium of which the hammock may be suspended fromsuitable supporting means above the ground.

It will thus be seen that with a hammock embodying the features of thepresent invention the occupant of the hammock is substantiallycompletely enveloped by the casing or envelope 5 and, with the windowcloth I4 drawn to a closed position with respect to the opening |3, andthe window aps Il in open position, suicient light and ventilation areprovided While at the same time the occupant is protected from beingannoyed by flies, mosquitoes and the like.

It will thus be seen that We have provided an outdoor sleeper orsleeping hammock that will be found useful by hunters, fishermen, boyscouts, girl scouts, linemen, surveyors and road engineers when sleepingout of doors; and that the device also provides for supporting thesleeper above or off the ground, while at the same time givingprotectionto the sleeper against weather, bugs, flies and mosquitoes.

AlsoVa salient feature of the invention is that when in use it permitsthe body resting therein to lie substantially flat as is the case whenone is reclining in a bed.

It is thought that the construction of the hammock, together with itsmany advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art withoufurther detailed description.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

l, A sleeping hammock comprising a flexible envelope having bottom,side, end and top walls, and provided in the top wall thereof with anenlarged opening for the passage of the body into and out of theenvelope, and a flexible sheer fabric sheet coacting with the opening toform therewith a i,

window, said sheet being secured at one edge thereof'to the top wall ofthe envelope at one guide members to facilitate the extending andretracting of the sheet relative to said opening; and a second outercover sheet for said opening of heavier material than thefirst-mentioned sheet; said outer covering sheet being secured at oneedge thereof to the top wall of the envelope and having opposite endedges equipped with guide rings, and guide members for theouter coveringsheet secured to the sides of the envelope and with which the rings ofsaid top cover sheet are engaged to facilitate extending and retractingsaid outer cover sheet with respect to said opening, pull elements forsaid outer covering sheet secured thereto and trained through openingsprovided therefor in an end Wall of said envelope, and interengagingmeans on the free ends cf said pull ropes and on the side walls of theenvelope, interiorly of the latter, coacting to retain the ropes in anout-of-the-way position when the hammock is in use.

2. A sleeping hammock comprising a exible envelope having bottom, side,end and top walls, and provided in the top Wall thereof with an enlargedopening for the passage of the body into and out of the envelope, and aeXible sheer fabric sheet coacting with the opening to form therewith awindow, said sheet being secured at one edge thereof to the top wall ofthe envelope at one edge of said opening, and having end edges overlyingthe sides of the envelope, guide members Ion the side walls of theenvelope eX- teriorly thereof and extending longitudinally, and guiderings on the end edges of said sheet coacting with said guide members tofacilitate the extending and retracting of the Sheet relative to saidopening; and a second outer cover sheet for said opening of heaviermaterial than the first-mentioned sheet; said outer covering sheet beingsecured at one edge thereof to the top wall of the envelope and havingopposite end edges equipped with guide rings, and guide members for theouter covering sheet secured to the sides of the envelope and With whichthe rings of said top cover sheet are engaged to facilitate extendingand retracting said outer cover sheet with respect to said opening, pullelements for said outer covering sheet secured thereto and trainedthrough openings provided therefor in an end wall of said envelope, andinterengaging means on the free ends of said pull ropes and on the sideWalls ofthe envelope, interiorly of the latter, coacting to retain theropes in an outof the-Way position when the hammock is in use; guides onopposite sides of the envelope, supporting ropes for the hammock trainedthrough said guides, rings connecting said supporting ropes at oppositeends of the hammock, and suspension ropes for the hammock secured to thelast-named rings.

OWEN D. HENDERSON. GERTRUDE W. HENDERSON.

